The present invention relates to a stroller or baby carriage for transporting or carrying a baby. Particularly, the invention relates to a reclining mechanism for changing the inclination angle of a backrest of a baby carriage. More particularly, it is related to a reclining mechanism of a baby carriage which has a protection plate connected to the upper end of the backrest so as to be able to be raised and lowered corresponding to the change of inclination angle of the backrest.
Taking a baby or an infant out in the open air for a walk or for sun-bathing is necessary for the baby or infant to grow up healthy. It is, however, very uncomfortable for a guardian of the baby or infant to hold or carry the baby or infant either in the arms or on the back for a long time. On other hand, it is never desirable for the health of a growing baby or infant to be kept in a rigid posture for a long time.
To cope with those problems, baby carriages have been developed and a number of excellent improvements have so far been worked out in those baby carriages.
The improvements in those baby carriages have been directed to a so-called full-reclining mechanism which has been developed to optimize the use of those baby carriages corresponding to the conditions of the babies laid on the baby carriages, that is, corresponding to the waking condition and the sleeping condition of the babies. Those baby carriages have been so designed that the backrest for supporting the back of a baby could be kept in an about 90-degrees erected state when the baby is awake and that the inclination angle of the backrest could be brought close to a flat state to thereby combine the seat and the backrest to form a bed when the baby is asleep or nearly asleep.
However, those conventionally known mechanisms have the disadvantage that the angle changing mechanism is complex, for example, the inclination angle should be changed by changing the position where the backrest is engaged with the top ends of links respectively interposed between the handle bar and the opposite ends of the backrest. The known mechanisms have the inconvenience that the angle changing operation must be independently carried out on both left and right sides because the angle changing mechanism is separately attached to the opposite sides of the backrest and that use of both hands is necessary for one operation.
Further, in the known baby carriages, the angle of the backrest relative to the seat can be merely changed corresponding to the erected/fallen state of the backrest. Accordingly, for example, when the flat state of the seat and backrest is established to be full-reclining, the baby laid on the seat and backrest often gradually moves up because of the vibrations caused by the movement of the baby carriage or because of turning over in sleep of the baby. As the baby moves upwards, the head of the baby or the upper half of the body of the baby is exposed out of the upper surface of the backrest. In the worst case, the baby may drop out of the baby carriage from the upper end of the backrest.